Endoscopes are reusable medical devices. An endoscope should be reprocessed, i.e., decontaminated, between medical procedures in which it is used to avoid causing infection or illness in a subject. The initial steps of reprocessing should be conducted immediately or shortly after the endoscope has been used in a procedure, at the point of care, to remove bioburden from an endoscope before it can dry on the endoscope. The initial steps are typically performed by a nurse and include, among others, wiping down the endoscope, soaking it in a detergent solution, suctioning detergent through the endoscope, suctioning air through the endoscope, and flushing the channels. After the initial steps are performed the endoscope may be transported to a reprocessing area for further reprocessing, such as disinfection or sterilization.
When the contaminated endoscope will be subject to a sterilization procedure, the endoscope may be placed into a sterilization tray, as is typical of sterilization procedures for medical devices. Following sterilization, the endo scope may be used in another procedure. The endoscope may be transported back to a procedure room (e.g., an operating room) in the tray in which it was sterilized or in another receptacle.